Region South Superintendent Andre Spicer

Biography

Mr. Spicer directs a group of Los Angeles Unified schools located in an area that stretches from Mid-City to South Los Angeles to San Pedro. In all, he directs 210 schools, more than 5,000 teachers and administrators, and roughly 100,000 students.

Mr. Spicer grew up in Compton, where he learned first-hand the inequities, the oppression, and the systemic racism that rankle inner-city public schools. Before becoming an educator, Mr. Spicer served from 1988 to 1992 in the U.S. Marine Corps. A Persian Gulf War veteran, Mr. Spicer borrowed many leadership qualities he learned while serving his country and applied them as an educator.

His teaching career began in Los Angeles Unified in 1996 at Loren Miller Elementary in South Los Angeles. It continued at Curtiss Middle School in Carson. As his career progressed, he served as a dean of students, a coordinator, an instructional director, and then as principal of Helen Bernstein High School in Hollywood.

Under his leadership, the school-wide community was able to eliminate barriers through professional development and training emphasizing the importance of cultural awareness and the persistent achievement gap of African American and Latinx students. By studying data analysis, collaborating with stakeholders, and increasing academic support student scores on statewide tests grew 17% in math and 21% in English Language Arts. 

The rising academic achievement helped in other ways, too. Bernstein’s attendance rates for staff and students improved by 10 percent, long-term English Learners decreased by 15 percent, and student suspensions dropped to less than 1 percent. These improvements helped transform the school’s college-going culture. 

His success at Bernstein led to his becoming an administrator in the Division of Instruction. Mr. Spicer oversaw the Access, Equity and Acceleration Unit that helps teachers and school leaders learn how to help underserved students reach their potential in and out of classrooms. 

His responsibilities included aligning student needs with resources to ensure academic success while assisting the Local District Superintendent and Community of Schools administrators in providing instructional support to all schools within the service area. Mr. Spicer also led the development and implementation of initiatives and strategic plans that closed the achievement gap, ensuring all students achieve high academic standards and graduate college-prepared or career-ready.

Mr. Spicer’s reputation grew after being elected as president of the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Council of Black Administrators. During his tenure, he advocated for accelerating Black student achievement and focused on the Black Educational Civil Rights Agenda. After his term ended, Mr. Spicer continues to collaborate with educators statewide, providing educational workshops and keynote addresses that boost adult and student learning outcomes. 

Mr. Spicer earned a four-year degree in history at California State University at Long Beach while pursuing a state teaching credential. He completed a master’s degree at California State University at Dominguez Hills in educational leadership and is a doctoral student at Claremont Graduate University, where he continues to sharpen his tools as an urban school leader.  

He and his wife, Koko, parents of four daughters, live in South Los Angeles.

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